Bottle closure



BOTTLE CLOSURE Filed March 19, 1952 will/c.1111 B. Roach FIG. 3. v

ATTORNEY INVENTOR United States a hi 2,748,967 BOTTLE CLOSURE William B. Roach, Elkton, Md. Application March 19, 1952, Serial No. 277,369

1 Claim. (Cl. 215-38) This invention relates to bottle closures and more particularly to a closure which will permit the withdrawal of a liquid by puncturing the closure by means of a hypodermic needle.

One object of the invention is to provide an improved stopper which when assembled will be free from any adhesive materials.

Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved method of constructing such a closure.

A further object of the invention is to provide a structure in which the seal conforms more closely to the shape of the upper lip of the bottle.

While several objects of the invention have been pointed out, other objects, uses and advantages of the improved stopper will become more apparent as the nature of the invention is more fully disclosed which consists in its novel construction and arrangement of its several parts as shown in the accompanying drawings and described in the following detailed description in which:

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of one form of the closure.

Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of the closure and the open end of a bottle illustrating the closure when applied to the bottle.

Figure 3 is an inverted plan view of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of the seal member.

Figure 5 is a view showing a modified form of the closure.

Figure 6 is an inverted plan view of the same.

Figure 7 is a view of reduced size showing the closure applied to a bottle.

Figure 8 is a top plan view of the closure as viewed from the top of the bottle in Figure 7.

Figure 9 is a fragmentary plan view partly in section illustrating a modified form of cover.

Referring to the drawings, the improved closure is shown in detail and as applied to a bottle it The bottle 16 is provided with a neck 10 and a lip ltl.

The closure is made up of the outer hollow cylindrical cap member 12 and a seal member as shown at 14, or a modified seal member, as shown at 17. The cap is preferably constructed of metal such as aluminum, but may be made of plastic or other suitable materials. The cap is formed with a cylindrical sidewall and a closed top 12' having a portion 12." of the top weakened by scoring or cutting the closed portion at 13 in order that the portion 12 may be easily removed with a knife blade, or other suitable instrument.

The preferred form of the invention is shown in Figures l to 4 inclusive. This form consists of the cap 12 and a flat molded seal 14. The seal is molded with its top and bottom sides substantially in parallel planes and is composed of soft resilient material such as soft rubber or the like which is easily punctured by a hypodermic needle. It also has the property of reclosing after the needle has been withdrawn so as to maintain an air tight bottle closure. In molding, or forming the member l4 an annular groove 15' is formed about the periphery o the seal as shown best in Figure 4.

The cap is first formed with a straight side wall, that is, without the bead 16. The cap and seal are assembled by placing the seal within the cap with the top portion of the seal 15 adjacent the closed end 12 of the cap and the head in is formed in the side wall of the cap by an appropriate machine (not shown). The bead is formed about the cap and is of such cross-sectional form as to conform to the groove 15 of the seal. After this operation the closure will appear in cross-section as shown in Figure 1, which shows the cap and seal assembled and ready to be applied to the bottle. The lower portion of the seal extends inwardly from the Wall 12 of the cap as shown at 14 to allow for the movement of the seal outwardly when the closure is pressed on to the bottle lip.

Figure 2 illustrates the closure applied to the bottle. The closure is adapted to be applied by an automatic machine which presses the closure downwardly upon the lip of the bottle and crimps the lower skirt of the cap under the lip of the bottle as shown at 16'. In this operation the seal is compressed between the closed end 12' of the cap and the bottle lip it). This causes the seal to extend over and around the upper outer edge of the lip as shown at i the bead 16 of the cap aiding the sealing around the lip by exerting pressure against the portion 14' of the seal.

While it has been stated that the seal member is molded, it may be formed by stamping or in any other suitable manner.

One modified form of the invention is shown in Figures 5 and 6. This form is of substantially the same structure as first described for the preferred form, except for the sealing element. In this form the seal 19 is molded in the shape as shown best in Figure 5. The seal has a thin flat portion 17 which rests upon the upper surface of the lip lltl very similar to the member 14. However, in addition to the flat portion the seal is provided with a stopperlike portion 17' which extends downwardly for a short distance into the neck 19' of the bottle. The lower edge of the flat portion 17 extends slightly inwardly from the side wall of the cap, as shown at 17" to allow for the movement of the seal outwardly over the bottle lip when the closure is pressed onto the bottle. The portion 17' is slightly shorter than the skirt 12. of the cap in order that the closures may be stacked one upon another before they are applied to the bottle without interference from the stopper portion of the seal. Both types of seals are formed with an annular groove for receiving the bead 16 formed on the inner wall surface of the cap adjacent the closed end 12'.

Another modified form of cover is shown in Figure 9. In this modification the groove 16 is not continuous for engaging the annular groove 15 of the seal. It has instead a plurality of recesses Zti formed about the outer cover extending inwardly for engaging the groove at intervals about its circumference similar to the head 16.

Both types of seals are assembled with the same type of cap, the type of seal being a matter of preference and possibly the type of material to be carried in the bottle. in either type of closure the cap and seal members are assembled without any kind of adhesive, which is difficult to use where the closures are subjected to a rigid sterilization process before being applied to the bottles. The present structure also gives a closer and tighter fit between the outer edge of the bottle ip and the closure.

While a specific embodiment of the invention has been shown and described, it is for illustration only as it is understood that the invention is capable of various modifications; therefore, the scope of the invention is best defined in the appended claim.

I'claim:

In combination, a bottlehaving-a-neck portion and an opening extending therethrough including a circumferential lip of substantial thickness and height extending about its outer edge, the upper surface of the lip being fiat and merging in a downwardly curved upper outer edge, a closure for said opening comprising a hollow cover of cylindrical form having a closed end and a smooth tubular side wall skirt of such length as to extend downwardly over the lip and inwardly under the lower surface of the lip to a point adjacent the bottle neck, a single continuous pliable inner seal member having a diameter equal to the outer periphery of said lip and having its under surface resting on the flat surface of the lip, the seal member being made of soft pliable impervious material adapted to be punctured by a hypodermic needle or the like for withdrawing the contents of the bottle, the single seal member extending over the entire top of the bottle and having a pre-formed annular groove about the outer peripheral edge thereof and located substantially centrally of the outer edge of the seal, an inwardly extended bead extending about the periphery of the side wall of the cover adjacent the closed end, the bead being located outwardly from the closed end of the cover a distance equal to substantially one half the thickness of the pliable seal member and receiving the groove of said head, a portion of the seal between said bead and the lip in operative position being forced downwardly over the curved upper edge of the lip thereby forming a tight seal.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 435,975 Moyer Sept. 9, 1890 1,512,347 Lorenz Oct. 21, 1924 2,387,955 Tilson Oct. 30, 1945 FOREIGN PATENTS 27,042 Great Britain 1897 140,047 Switzerland Aug. 1, 1930 1 

